Faculty of Engineering

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Author: search.filters.author.Mendis, SHas files: Yes

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Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Influence of Crumb Rubber and Coconut Coir on Strength and Durability Characteristics of Interlocking Paving Blocks
    (MDPI, 2022-07-13) Gamage, S; Palitha, S; Meddage, D. P. P; Mendis, S; Azamathulla, H. M; Rathnayake, U
    Interlocking Paving Blocks (IPB) are, nowadays, a widely used construction material. As a result of the surge in demand for IPBs, alternative materials have been investigated to be used for IPBs. This study investigated the strength and durability characteristics (compressive strength, split tensile strength, density, water absorption, skid resistance, and abrasion resistance) of IPBs in the presence of (waste materials) crumb rubber (CR) and coconut coir fibers (CCF). Both compressive and split tensile strength increased in the presence of CCF to a certain extent. CR-based IPBs showcased an increase in skid resistance that satisfied both SLS 1425 and BS EN 1338 specifications. Abrasion depths of CR-based and CCF-based samples show a comparable increase in values when the respective fraction (CR or CCF) increases. Therefore, this research fills the knowledge gap, highlighting the importance of incorporating waste materials (CR and CCF) for the IPB industry rather than open dumping.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Investigating applicability of sawdust and retro-reflective materials as external wall insulation under tropical climatic conditions
    (Springer link, 2022-04-19) Dharmasena, P; Meddage, D. P. P; Mendis, S
    Buildings require energy to maintain their performance. In consequence, built environments cause a surge in the world’s energy demand. Providing passive measures is an efective method of optimizing operational energy usage. In this study, we propose insulation materials (thermal barrier type and resistive insulation) for the walls of a building. Experiments were performed on small-scale physical models constructed with; (a) no insulation, (b) sawdust–cement mortar, and (c) retrorefective (RR) material for external walls. In addition, regression models were developed to predict indoor air temperature with insulation. Subsequently, associated operational energy-saving and decrease in emissions were estimated for each material. The comparison reveals RR (sawdust–cement mortar) is efective in warm (overcast) climatic conditions. Developed regression models have shown a good agreement with experimental results (R>0.8). Moreover, sawdust–cement mortar (RR) materials contributed a 9% (13.4%) reduction in operational energy and a 9% (13.3%) decrease in CO2 emissions. The project highlights the potential to utilize sawdust—a waste material—and RR material as wall insulation to decrease intense operational energy demand.